The present invention relates to identification of a path in a network of interconnected devices, where the devices include switching devices and routing devices.
Computer networks form the basis for IT (Information Technology) infrastructure in a wide variety of contexts. Such computer networks comprise interconnected devices of various types. The purpose of the network is to support the flow of messages between those devices so as to deliver information, applications and services, etc., over the network. A number of techniques are available for managing a network. In this context, managing a network includes monitoring the network to identify failure points and other problematic areas, such as hotspots, and providing information to administrators and users of the network to allow the problems to be fixed. There are a number of tools available for providing a network topology. The topology of a network identifies how devices in the network are physically or logically connected to each other. Thus, any particular single device may have one or more connections to a neighbour device. Computerised tools which “discover” a network are available, and they create network topologies which define the interconnection of the devices in the network, and the nature of those devices.